Inmates Equipped with Chess Skills as a Crime-Fighting Measure 

By Admin. Updated 4:25 p.m., Thursday, March 27, 2025, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4). 

The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Chess Federation has donated a total of 20 chess sets to the nation’s prisons to facilitate the development of the Chess in Prisons Programme (CIPP) at both the Kingstown and Belle Isle facilities.

The donation was made today, March 27, by Ms. Kazene Pierre, Secretary-Treasurer of the SVG Chess Federation who handed over the chess sets to Senior Prison Officer Kevin Alexander. 

In a press release, the organization stated that this donation aims to launch the Chess in Prisons Programme (CIPP).

This initiative follows the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Chess Federation’s unveiling of its multipronged approach to promote chess throughout St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The organization also mentioned that it has been running a Chess in Schools Programme (CISP), which has successfully provided several primary and secondary schools across the country with donations of chess sets.

The organization said: Chess in Prisons has been part of the international body FIDE global programming strategy. The St Lucia Chess Federation is one of the Windward Islands that has embarked on a successful Chess in Prisons programme. As it relates to Chess in Prisons the SVGCF adopts the position of Jo Adetunji whose research concludes as follows. 

“Chess is a cheap and tactical game, and is claimed to develop the part of the brain responsible for planning, judgement and self-control, and even to help prevent dementia. So it’s no wonder that thousands of prisoners in the UK are now part of chess clubs.

Working with people in prison and tackling reoffending is one of the biggest challenges society faces and I’ve long argued that physical activity, sport and games have a unique and important role to play.”

The organization said: We at the SVGCF joins the international community in the Chess in Prisons Programme with the aim of tackling the reoffending by Vincentians and to reduce the crimes committed across this country. This position adopted by the international body that “Chess is a game that not only allows the inmates to spend a quality time and socialize in a smart and safe way but also can serve for decreasing such common symptoms like depression, stress, and anxiety. Developing memory and logical thinking, improving concentration skills and imagination may foster their reintegration after liberation. Chess inspires self-motivation, develops the capacity to for-see consequences and demonstrates the success is a reward of hard work.” Is fully embraced by the SVGCF.

“As such, we hope to see in the not too distant future that this sport engulfs the current population, reduced reoffending markedly, introduction of Chess in Prison Championship that will see local prisoners participate in the “Chess for Freedom” global online championship.  This would also mean that the Ministries of Legal Affairs, Finance and National Security should consider as part of their budgetary exercise, for at least 3 computers for the prison facilities at Kingstown and Belle Isle so by 2026 our prisoners will be active participants in this crime reduction initiative,” the organization added.